Wheat

My wheat is fully headed out now without an extra shot of N or fungicide. I got a decent kill on the weeds but not total control. The barley headed out a week ago.

It looks tough. I lost half the wheat due to water. It looked so good in March and then 13-19 inches of rain since April 1 took its toll on it.

I sold too much so I hope one of my dear friends can help me fill my contracts. I should only need a thousand bushel or so and the price I sold it for should be no problem in today's market but who knows what it will be at harvest time.

There is some decent looking soft red winter wheat around here on the rolling fields but everyone is concentrating on corn and soybeans.

It's another interesting year to say the least. I need to scout and pull flag leaves for tissue tests to finish this crop off.

At least the wheat scab predictor is low with the low temperatures today. It was 47 when I got up and I see a farmer got frost in Kansas.

Our wheat specialist just put out a good piece on fungicides on wheat.

Date: Sat, 14 May 2011 12:15:38 -0400
From: "Pierce Paul"
Subject: Flying on a Fungicide now (before flowering) WILL NOT Prevent Problems with Vomitoxin

Flying on a Fungicide now (before flowering) WILL NOT Prevent Problems with Vomitoxin – Pierce Paul and Dennis Mills

1- Fungicide application at FLAG LEAF EMERGENCE, BOOT, or ANY TIME BEFORE HEADING WILL NOT CONTROL SCAB or VOMITOXIN.
2- The head scab fungus infects when the wheat crop is flowering i.e., when anthers are seen sticking out of the heads, causing scab to develop and producing vomitoxin.
3- Therefore, fungicides need to be applied to protect the flowering head to reduce infection, scab development, and vomitoxin production.
4- Between flag leaf emergence and boot, the head is in the leaf sheath of the flag leaf where it is protected from the head scab fungus, so scab will not cause a problem while the head is hidden, even during these constant rains.
5- Between flag leaf emergence and boot, the head is in the leaf sheath of the flag leaf where the fungicide will not reach it. These fungicides need to be applied like a protectant – ON THE PLANT PART just prior to infection. THIS PART FOR SCAB control is the WHEAT HEAD WITH ANTHERS HANGING OUT. So, if it becomes wet and humid after the heads emerge when the crop is at greatest risk for scab, applications made before flowering WILL NOT PROVIDE PROTECTION.
6- Fungicide application between flag leaf emergence and boot will provide EXCELLENT CONTROL OF LEAF DISEASES BUT NOT SCAB.
7- Fungicide applications made at heading (when the heads are fully emerged) will provide some suppression of scab, but are much less effective than applications made at flowering.
8- For scab and vomitoxin control, application by air may be the only option if it is too wet to get into the field, but THESE APPLICATIONS NEED TO BE MADE AT FLOWERING, USING A VOLUME OF 5 GALLONS/ACRE AND GETTING AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO THE WHEAT CANOPY.
9- APPLICATION BY AIR BEFORE FLOWERING is even LESS EFFECTIVE FOR SCAB control; quite frankly IT DOES NOT STOP SCAB.
10- So, if you are targeting leaf diseases, applying a fungicide at this time may be an excellent idea, given the wet weather that we have had.
11- However, if you are truly concerned about scab and vomitoxin, which is understandable after last year’s problems and the weather we have had so far, applying a fungicide now (before flowering), is both a waste of time and money.
12- Read product labels for proper timing, since not all fungicides can be applied as late as flowering.

Pierce Anderson Paul, PhD.
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Assistant Professor Phone: (330)-263-3842 (Office)
Department of Plant Pathology Phone: (330)-202-3555 Ex. 2850 (Lab.)
The Ohio State University/OARDC Fax: (330) 263-3841
1680 Madison Ave. Email: paul.661@osu.edu
Wooster, OH 44691-4096
http://plantpath.osu.edu/people-and-programs/faculty-directory/paul-pierce-a/
www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/ohiofieldcropdisease

Ed Winkle
Martinsville, Ohio